Iron
Mineral needed to carry oxygen in the blood, usually taken as ferrous fumarate or ferrous sulfate.
What the research shows
Shown repeatedly in humans, in reviews or meta-analyses.
Peña-Rosas (2015) saw less anaemia and fewer low birth weight babies among pregnant women taking daily iron, though two authors worked for organisations that run iron programmes themselves. Houston (2018) found less fatigue in iron-deficient people without anaemia, with no improvement in physical capacity. Tolkien (2015) counted roughly twice as many gastrointestinal complaints with ferrous sulfate as with placebo.
Who it makes sense for: People with a confirmed iron deficiency, especially menstruating women, pregnant women and those with iron deficiency anaemia.
How we weigh evidenceClinical dosage
Scientific sources
The clinical dosages on this page are based on peer-reviewed research.
- Daily oral iron supplementation during pregnancy.Peña-Rosas JP et al. (2015)Funded by: Twee auteurs zijn in dienst van de WHO en het Micronutrient Initiative, organisaties die zelf ijzersuppletieprogrammas uitvoeren.
- Efficacy of iron supplementation on fatigue and physical capacity in non-anaemic iron-deficient adults: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.Houston BL et al. (2018)
- Ferrous sulfate supplementation causes significant gastrointestinal side-effects in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Tolkien Z et al. (2015)
We keep the dosages and values on this page as accurate as possible based on selected studies. New research may change these values. Nothing on this page is medical advice. If you have any doubts, always consult a doctor.